Learning to Teach With Technology

2005-06-27T14:18:00.000-07:00

Day 6:
Today was again quite a hot day. I am starting to get used to it though. The temps have been warm for 2 weeks now. This is already a nicer summer than we had last year.
For my research project I set out to find if wireless internet was safe. For the most part I have found that most free wireless hookups are not safe. There are no safegaurds on many of the free access points. The key here is not to stop using them but to just be careful what information you access while on it. Safegaurds are getting better for wireless servers that are set up for universities, businesses, etc. Many of those places provide encryptions so that no one on the outside can access the information you may be looking at. Also be sure that you know who is providing the wireless access and that they are legitimate. If you know that the provider is legit and that they provide security on their server than you can go ahead and look at whatever you want to.
Have a great day everybody. This may be the last post. It's been fun.

2005-06-24T10:38:00.000-07:00

Day 5:
Really hot last night. I live by the lake and it hit 97 degrees. I don't sleep as well when it is hot and I slept really poorly last night. So I have been really tired and fidgety. Was soooo happy to get out of there today. We are starting work on web pages now. I went and saw Batman Begins this evening, it was really good.
Looked more into the fake wireless internet. People actually send out signals that show up as wireless access points and when people log on the person who is controlling this signal can see everything that they are doing. From what I understand, this is a signal that the hacker sends from his computer so when people log onto what they think is wireless, they are logging into the hacker's computer.
Have a great weekend everyone. See you all Monday.

2005-06-23T10:34:00.000-07:00

Day 4:
Today we taught the class using PowerPoint as a tool. I thought it went really well. The other class-members had great ideas. I liked most of the people tried to interact with the students and get them involved. I was nervous at first about doing it but now after it is done, I wish I had more time. I could have done a lot more and made it a lot more involved but I did the best I could with the time I had and I am pleased for the most part.
I read a really interesting article on the CNN website about the lack of security on wireless web-surfing. They interviewed a hacker, who works with companies to improve their security, named Richard Rushing. He described using wireless as standing up where you are and shouting out all you info. He says that it is a good tool if you just want to catch up on news our something but if you are trying to look a bank account info anymore who is using that connection could, with very little know-how, access that info while you are looking at it. The article mentioned something about people using fake wireless accesses to lure people in and steal info; I think I am going to look into that next.
Enjoy the beautiful weather everyone. Summers are short in this part of the world (lol). This has been a better summer than the entire summer combined last year (as far as warm weather).

2005-06-22T14:56:00.000-07:00

Day 3:

Teaching the class tomorrow. Spent most of the day talking about how to properly do Powerpoint. Wish there was more time to prepare for this assignment. I tend to have a problem with always wanting everything to be perfect. I guess with this limited time it would be a good time to change and get used to just throwing things together and see how they go :) Haven't looked much into the safety of wireless internet yet though. In class you guys mentioned some good things about not just safety but also stealing.
HEY, does anyone know if we are suppossed to do more with webcrossing or was what we did yesterday all we had to do?

2005-06-21T15:35:00.000-07:00

Day 2:

Today was a lot more comfortable in class. It was a lot less humid and we had fun playing around with the digital cameras again. Finished up working on a digital pic tour. It is exciting to think how these tours could be used for my teaching in the future. Whether it is going online to find pictures of historic sites or places that I may go. I hope to do more traveling in the future. I already have been to Boston and have pics of the old North Church, Paul Revere's house, the USS Constitution, etc. Showing students actual pics will help them visualize it better than if I just rambled on. If I visited these places and have pics of me there that would be neat too because seeing myself there also makes it seem more realistic.
Using blogs like this may also be useful in the schools because teachers could post and update a newsletter about what is going on in class and what is being taught. Parents and students could then respond to it and give their feedback. This could really be nice since nowadays people spend so much time on the computer that it might be a lot more convenient to write a response rather than call the teacher. If they are anything like me they might be able to better formulate their thoughts in writing rather than over the phone, on the spot.
They just opened a new wireless hub in the canal area in Duluth. These wireless hubs are very convenient but there is talk about whether they are safe. I think I might look into that more.
Think I'll head out now and enjoy the rest of the day.
This is a cool site that gives a tour of the Chinese Emperors palace. This had been off limits of hundreds of years and no common person was allowed inside. now it is a tourist destination: http://www.drben.net/ChinaReport/Beijing/Landmarks-Hotspots/DongCheng/
Gugong-Palace_Museum/Forbidden_City_Beijing.html
This is a tour of newspaper cartoons that deal with WWI. Really cool insight into the public's opinions during the war
http://rutlandhs.k12.vt.us/jpeterso/uboatcar.htm

2005-06-20T13:12:00.000-07:00

Day 1: First day of class we were told some interesting insights that you would not expect from a class that is supposed to be about teaching using technology. We read an article that stressed that technology is used too much in the schools and it often has no purpose. We were told that as educators we should use the technology that is available only if it enhances what we want to teach. These tech tools can be one of many ways to try to convey our message to the students and we were told that using many different methods of teaching is the best way to get students to be actively engaged. Also, it is important to realize what method we prefer and realize that not everyone prefers to do things that way. If we are open to it we can better teach those who may not learn the same way we do.
I like the way the class is set up. The instructor, Dr. Helen Mongan-Rallis, is very nice and I enjoy the less formal attitude she has in her way of teaching. It gives an atmosphere that allows students to learn and not worry about asking questions, if they are having trouble. I also like the small class size.

2005-06-20T09:53:00.000-07:00

This contains reflections that I have over a 9 day course that I am taking to learn how to better teach using various technologies.